1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of cooking and outdoor appliances and to a combined oven and fireplace.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of outdoor fireplaces are known and widely used to provide a pleasing aesthetic contribution in outdoor or open environments. For example, an outdoor fireplace can provide a campfire ambience in an outdoor residential setting. Outdoor fireplaces generally include some configuration of open container to hold the fuel material and contain ashes. Outdoor fireplaces also generally elevate the fire from the ground, in contrast to fires that can be built directly on the ground.
A variety of outdoor cooking appliances, commonly known as barbecues or hibachis, are widely used for outdoor cooking. Such cooking appliances can be adapted to use solid fuel, such as fuel wood and/or charcoal or fuel gases such as natural gas or propane to generate heat for the cooking. Such cooking appliances generally include an open container where the fuel combustion takes place. Such open containers can have a variety of shapes, including generally hemispherical, semicylindrical, rectangular, pyramidal, or other shapes. Outdoor cooking appliances are also generally provided with one or more grills supported and arranged generally above the combustion region to support food items for cooking above the combustion region.
An open configuration of outdoor cooking appliance suffers the limitation that a significant portion of the heat generated can be lost due to radiant and convective heat escaping through the open upper region of the cooking appliance. This results in a significant decrease in cooking efficiency, generally resulting in higher fuel consumption and extended cooking times and limitations in the type of cooking methods that can be used with the appliance. Accordingly, outdoor cooking appliances are frequently provided with a movable cover to allow access to the grill area for placement and removal of food items but also allowing the cooking appliance to be at least partially closed to assist in retaining heat within the cooking appliance to improve cooking efficiency. Such closable cooking appliances will generally include one or more vents to facilitate provision of fresh air to support combustion and/or allow combustion products to escape the interior of the cooking appliance.
However, such cooking appliances suffer the drawback that placing the cooking region over the combustion region contributes to exposure of the food items being cooked to combustion products such as smoke, soot, and possible remnants from previously cooked food items. While the heat of combustion is a combustion product that is desirably communicated to the food items, frequently smoke, soot, and remnants of previously cooked food items can contributed undesired tastes and aroma to subsequently cooked food items. Combustion of solid fuels can also result in ash and cinders accumulating on the surface of the food. In addition, certain foods can drip combustible materials such as fat and oils that can burn upon contact with the normal fuel and result in excessive heat and burning of the food.
Enclosing a cooking appliance detracts from the aesthetic qualities of the cooking appliance as the frequently desirable appearance of the combustion is obscured from view. Thus, it will be understood that there exists a need for an improved design of outdoor cooking appliance which inhibits exposure of cooked items to undesired combustion products and maintains the desired aesthetic qualities of open outdoor fireplaces.